The Gotham Awards are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of Salmagundi, published on November 11, 1807. Part of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, "the largest membership organization in the United States dedicated to independent film", the awards were inaugurated in 1991 as a means of showcasing and honoring films made primarily in the northeastern region of the United States.
The 15th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 30, 2005 and were hosted by Kyra Sedgwick. The nominees were announced on October 25, 2005.
The 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on December 2, 2008. The nominees were announced on October 20, 2008. The ceremony was hosted by Aasif Mandvi.
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors feature film directorial debuts. Named after Bingham Ray since 2013, the breakthrough director award was first given in 1991 as the Open Palm Award, with Jennie Livingston being the first recipient of the award, for her work in Paris Is Burning. From 1991 to 1996 only the winner was announced, since 1997, a set of 5 to 6 nominees is presented annually.
The 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 30, 2009. The nominees were announced on October 19, 2009. The ceremony was hosted by Kumail Nanjiani.
The 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 29, 2010 and were hosted by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. The nominees were announced on October 18, 2010.
The 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 28, 2011. The nominees were announced on October 20, 2011. The ceremony was hosted by Edie Falco and Oliver Platt.
The 25th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 30, 2015. The nominees were announced on October 22, 2015. The ceremony was hosted by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer.
The 26th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 28, 2016. The nominees were announced on October 20, 2016. Actors Ethan Hawke and Amy Adams, director Oliver Stone and producer Arnon Milchan received tribute awards. The ceremony was hosted by Keegan-Michael Key.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and was first awarded in 2004 with Alexander Payne's Sideways being the first recipient of the award.
The 16th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 29, 2006 and were hosted by David Cross. The nominees were announced on October 23, 2006.
The 14th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on December 1, 2004. The nominees for Breakthrough Actor and Director were announced on November 1, 2004 and the nominees in the film categories were announced on November 10, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Bob Balaban. It was the first Gotham Award ceremony where the prizes for Best Feature and Best Documentary were awarded.
The 13th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on September 22, 2003. The ceremony was hosted by Michael Ian Black. It was the first Gotham Awards ceremony where the individual awards such as the Filmmaker Award were replaced with Career Tributes resulting in several Tributes each year instead of one.
The 10th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on September 20, 2000 and were hosted by Jason Alexander. At the ceremony, Robert Altman, Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom were honored with Career Tributes and Aiyana Elliott received the Anthony Radziwell Documentary Achievement Award.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was first presented in 2004 with Jonathan Demme's The Agronomist being the first recipient of the award.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was first awarded in 1998, with Sonja Sohn and Saul Williams being the first recipients of the award for their roles as Lauren Bell and Ray Joshua in Slam, respectively.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors series with episodes over 40 minutes. Until 2019, the award honored a new "continuing or limited series with episodes running 30 minutes or longer". It was first awarded in 2015.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Short Form is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors series with episodes under 40 minutes. Until 2019, the award intended to honor a new continuing or limited series new digital media programming, with five or more episodes mostly under 20 minutes. It was first awarded in 2015.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast was one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards awarded between 2005 and 2012. The award was called Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance between 2008 and 2012.
The Gotham Independent Film Audience Award was one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards awarded between 2010 and 2020. The winner was determined via an online vote, in earlier years by the independent film community and film fans (2010–2013), and later by members of the Independent Filmmaker Project (2014–2020).
